Method for making roads



Dec. 8, 1936. F, E, 2,063,400

METHOD FOR MAKING ROADS Original Filed April 3, 1930 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES METHOD FOR MAKING ROADS John F. Robb, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, asslgnor to Koehring Company, Milwaukee, Wla, a corporation Original application April 3, 1930, Serial No.

Divided and this application November 24, 1934, Serial No. 754,619

1 Claim.

This is a division of my copending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 441,279, filed Apr. 3, 1930.

This invention has to do with machines for building concrete roads, known as paving machines, and a .method of supplying and delivering concrete aggregates, or road paving materials, to a road subgrade upon which they are to be laid. The method and apparatus comprising this invention is especially useful in conjunction with central mixing plants and delivery trucks used to transport concrete aggregates from such plants to the site upon which the aggregates are to be laid. .The delivery truck utilized for the purposes of the invention may be of the type equipped with a mixer, in which event the mixing .of the aggregates may be performed independently of the central mix ing plant. f

In carrying out my invention there is provided apparatus in the form of a portable machine adapted to travel over the road subgrade upon which the concrete or road paving materials are to be laid. This 'machine comprises self-propelling instrumentalities; .for instance, a motor or engine arranged to drive the traction wheels of the machine. Additionally are provided a receiving hopper for the aggregates and spreading means for moving the materials delivered to the hopper, to all portions of the hopper, a spreading unit being thus provided. It is contemplated by the construction of the apparatus that the delivery truck which is to supply the road paving materials to the spreading unit, and which may comprise a mixer, shall be coordinated in its movement relatively to the apparatus. In other words, as the spreading apparatus moves along the road subgrade and lays the paving materials thereon, the delivery truck which supplies the aggregates to the spreading apparatus will likewise move in coordination therewith, its movement conformwith the movement of the paving or spreading apparatus, and the depositing of the road paving materials on the subgrade will be continuous with the supplying of such materials to the spreading hopper from the delivery truck or mixer.

More specifically describing a road paving operation with my apparatus, it is noted that the portable machine or apparatus will advance along the subgrade longitudinally thereof and will continuously feed the aggregates to the subgrade from the spreading hopper of the apparatus. An operator will be seated on the machine to maintain it in. motion at a suitably determined rate of speed. In advance of the apparatus or portable machine aforesaid, and also traveling on the subgrade, will be the delivery truck or truck mixer which forms a containing member and supplies the aggregates to a chute disposed longitudinally of the apparatus centrally thereof. In this chute is a conveyor of a suitable type, as for instance a screw conveyor, which carries the materials delivered from the supply truck or truck mixer to the spreading hopper in which are located suitable spreading devices. By coordinating the speeds of the apparatus of the portable machine of my apparatus and the supply truck or truck mixer, it is evident that a speedy depositing or the road aggregates upon the subgrade maybe efiected.

In the drawing-- Figure 1 is a top plan view of apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention and adapted to practice the method thereofas herelnbefore set forth.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the discharge means located at the lower portion of the distributing hopper.

Describing my apparatus specifically, it is notable that the hopper E is carried by the portable frame A' equipped with the traction wheels I adapted to travel along the road forms 2. or any other supporting means, as the ap aratus moves lengthwise of the road Subgrade upon which the paving aggregates are to be laid. The hopper E is provided with a shaft I extending substantially the entire length of. the hopper. Mounted on the shaft 1' are oppositely directed spiral levelling blades H and H" of substantially equal length, these levelling blades being is provided with an upwardly sloping chute G which is ixmnovable with respect to said hopper. A shaft 29 is mounted in bearings 30 and 3| in the hopper E and chute G, respectively. Securely fixed on the shaft 29 is a charging spiral blade 32 which ends at a point within the hopper E Just short of the shaft 1'. The shaft 29 is provided with a worm gear drive between it and the shaft 1, said worm gear drive including a worm and worm gear or wheel enclosed in an oil-tight casing 33; Any suitable gearingmay be employed in lieu of the said worm and worm gear drive whereby to transmit motion to the conveyor 32 from the. shaft 1'. The delivery truck L, which may be provided with a mixer, is adapted to deposit aggregates on the chute G, whereupon said aggregates are transferred by means of the blade or conveyor 32 to the inner adjacent ends of the levelling blades H and H". The said blades distribute the aggregates evenly from the center of the hopper E toward the extremities thereof.

Mounted on the support A adJacent to the side of the hopper E opposite from the chute G is an engine F which furnishes the motive power for operating the hopper instrumentalities and certain other mechanism now to be set forth.

For purposes of propulsion a shaft 34 on the engine F has a worm and wheel drive gearing, said gearing being disposed in an oil-tight casing 39. The ends of the shaft 35 are disposed in bearings 31 on the framework of the support A, and bevel gears 38 are mounted on the projecting ends of said shaft. The rear axle 39 is provided with a differential gearing enclosed in a housing 40 and a drive shaft 4| therefor has a gear 42 meshing with a gear 43 mounted on the clutch shaft 44. Said shafts may be supported on the framework in any suitable manner. The clutch shaft 44 is provided with a clutch 45 having driving gears 46 selectively engageable with one of the gears 38 whereby to propel the portable support A in one direction or another or to maintain the same at rest. For the purpose of moving the clutch 45 to its various positions, operating instrumentalities 41 are provided, including a hand control lever 48 within easy reach of the operator who will be seated on the seat 49.

The other gear 38 mounted on the shaft 35 meshes with the gear 50 mounted on a clutch shaft 5|. A clutch 52 coacts with a gear 53 mounted on the shaft 29. The clutch 52 also is provided with operating instrumentalities 54 including the operating lever 55 operable by the attendant.

For the purpose of providing for the deposit of the aggregates that have been levelled off in the distributing hopper E, onto the subgrade below, I provide two doors 56 and 51, see Figure 2. An operating shaft 59 is suitably supported on the framework of the support A and has fastened thereto a control lever 59. A crank arm 60 is mounted for rotation with the shaft 58 and has pivotal connection with the rod Bl which is in turn pivoted to an extension or arm on the pivoted door 56. It is thus seen that operation of the lever 59 will cause the shaft 58 to actuate the door 56 to regulate the thickness of the layer of concrete or paving material to be deposited, and also to close half of the bottom opening of the hopper E, if so desired. Loose on the shaft 59 is an operating lever 53 pivotally connected to the door 51, similarly to the connections of the lever 59 with the door 56. Movement of the lever 63 with respect to the shaft 58 in an arcuate path will result in the operation of the door 51 in accordance with the requirements of the job.

The rear axle 35 and a front axle 54 are provided with instrumentalities 65 which make possible the adjustment of the length of the axles to correspond with the width of the road to be paved.

With the construction of my apparatus as above set forth, it is apparent that I eliminate the necessity of raising and lowering mechanism for handling the aggregates in transferring the same fromthe supply truck or mixer to the hopper E.

In the operation of my invention the apparatus comprising the spreading hopper E and associated spreading instrumentalities will preferably move along the road 'subgrade at a speed determined by the operator at the seat 49. At the end of the apparatus where the chute G is located, a supply truck or mixer truck will supply the road paving materials or aggregates to the chute G whilst the paver or spreading apparatus is in motion and while the said supply truck or mixer is similarly in motion. A decided advantage of this construction is that the delivery truck supplying the aggregates to the chute G may propel itself along the subgrade in front of the support A in conformity with the movement of the paver as controlled by the operator seated at 49, so that the deposit of the aggregates on the subgrade may be continuous with the supply of aggregates to the hopper E. A plurality of the delivery trucks or mixers will of course be available to cooperate with the apparatus so that there will be no loss of time in between delivery of fresh batches of materials to the chute G.

My new method of laying paving aggregates upon road subgrades involves especially the movement or operation of the spreading or pavingv apparatus simultaneously with the movement of the supply truck or containing member which operates in conjunction with the operating apparatus, thus affording a practically continuous supplying of the concrete or mixing aggregates to the spreading mechanism so that continuous progressive operation of laying down the aggregates is ensured. When the aggregates are delivered by the mixing or supply truck to the chute G they will be acted upon promptly by the conveyor or spiral blade 32 so as to be carried to the hopper E for deposit therein and feeding therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The method of laying road aggregates which comprises advancing over the subgrade a power driven hopper unit adapted to receive and distribute the aggregates, successively bringing separate power driven aggregate-containing units into position so that the aggregates contained therein may be deposited in the hopper unit, advancing the respective aggregate containing units along the subgrade at a speed corresponding to the speed of movement of the hopper unit and depositing the aggregates into the hopper unit during the advancing movement of the hopper unit, whereby the supply of aggregates to the hopper unit will be substantially continuous, and spreading the aggregates in the hopper unit in a direction at right angles to the direction of travel thereof as the hopper unit and containing units progress along the subgrade.

JOHN F. ROBB. 

